[Laffer]

Hi, this is my first post to this forum. I have been looking for new headphones for a while now and i have decided to buy Beyerdynamics headphones. The problem is that i can't decide what model to buy, there are so many models in my pricerange.

Here are the nominees for my next headphones
(in random order)

DT831
DT931
DT770
DT990
DT250-80
DT250-250
DT531

I listen to many kinds of music, but maybe movie soundtracks are my favourite genre now. I read on the reviews that DT250's are not the best phones for listening symphonic/classical music, so that rules out those phones?

I have no seperate amp for headphones right now, and my current source is Yamaha RX-V2095. Is is sufficient for those higher impedance phones? Specs on yamaha's manual has following information on headphone output.

Input: 1khz, 150mv, Rl=8ohms..........0.5V , impedance 440ohms

Also i want those phones to be as comfortable as possible.

Thanks for your comments!

Edit: You can suggest a model that hasn't been listed above!

ps. sorry about my english....hope you can understand it.

 

[kelly]

Laffer
The DT931 is one of my favorites and I kind-of want one myself despite owning other good headphones. I'm planning to borrow one before long so maybe that will get it out of my system and save me a little money. The DT931 is too bright for me without the 120 ohm adapter but if you can get an adapter from www.meier-audio.com . The DT931 is semi-open and will leak some noise so keep that in mind if that's important. Also, you'll likely want to use a headphone amp with this one.

The DT770 is the bass heavy one on the list. Many people love it for this reason and it's another headphone I plan to spend more time with (not gloco's though, you don't want to know where his have been). The DT770 is a closed headphone and seems to be pretty good at blocking outside noise. You'll probably want to use a headphone amp with this one too.

The DT250-80 is popular because it's easy to drive. The reason someone may have told you it isn't as good for classical is because it has a softer rolled off treble and that quality seems to bother some classical fans. It also has a slightly bumped midrange. It seems to me that this combination is good particularly for poor sources (portable CD players, PCs, etc.). The DT250-80 is closed. I have another headphone that competes with this one from another German company called Ultrasone that I'm liking a lot but don't have a DT250 to do a direct comparison with. It shares the qualities of being closed design and easy to drive.

 

[dougli]

Well, kelly has already described some of the Beyers that I'm familiar with, but the one headphone on your list that I've also used which he didn't mention is the DT831. This one is often considered the best closed phone made, period. It is comfortable and well-made. It's sound is very detailed and well-rounded, with a little more emphasis on the highs than the lows. There are those people, myself included, who feel that the highs are too strong, making the sound bright. But others really like the level of detail and resolution available. And the sound does depend a great deal upon what source and amp are used to produce it.

I think that the Ultrasone that kelly mentioned is the HFI-650. I can also suggest this one, placing it roughly on the same level as the DT250-80, perhaps a little higher. But I've never done a direct comparison, using the same equipment, either.

There don't seem to be many people that use the DT990. I've read mixed comments on this forum about its sound.

 

[kelly]

I used to own the DT831 and in general can't recommend it. If bass doesn't matter to you and you want a bright closed headphone then it's probably the best there is. I just don't imagine many people actually want that combination of qualities.

The only people I know who have AB compared the DT250-80 and Ultrasone HFI-650 are Jan Meier (who sells both) and GTecX who bought both and decided to return the DT250-80, preferring the sound of the Ultrasone but still wanting to get Beyer pads for them.

Either way, I would prefer the DT931 with 120ohm adapter if I did not need closed headphones.

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly The DT770 is the bass heavy one on the list. Many people love it for this reason and it's another headphone I plan to spend more time with (not gloco's though, you don't want to know where his have been). The DT770 is a closed headphone and seems to be pretty good at blocking outside noise. You'll probably want to use a headphone amp with this one too.

Hey! Why i oughta!

The 770's are becoming a set of highly regarding headphones around here, for closed cans, they sound great. I use a Yamaha RXV493 receiver to drive the Beyer's, does a decent job of it.

 

[Laffer]

Ultrasone's may be good but, i can't buy them at here (Finland) and this time i don't want to order from germany or from any other country.

770's "sound" good but i don't want too much bass, but i don't think that, that is the case right here. I used to own Porta Pro:s and it had maybe too much bass when using them in my house. I would really appreciate a comment on differences between porta pro's and 770's . My experience is very limited, since i have only used Porta Pro's

 

[dougli]

I can't compare the 770 to the Porta-Pro, but I can tell you that I sold my 770 because it had too much bass and not enough top end. This is from a guy who likes bass, and can't stand headphones with too much top end. The 770 also had an odd phenomenon with certain rock recordings. I would hear a bass line that seemed to stand out from the overall musical effect; it seemed to have a life of its own. I think that is strictly recording/source/amp dependent, though. Many people strongly like the 770, so audition one if you can. You may very well like it. Also keep in mind that headphones benefit from a burnin period of at least 40 hours, more or less, depending on the phones.

 

[MacDEF]

Quote:

Originally posted by kelly I used to own the DT831 and in general can't recommend it. If bass doesn't matter to you and you want a bright closed headphone then it's probably the best there is. I just don't imagine many people actually want that combination of qualities.

I'm with kelly; I used to own the DT831, and they have little bass, resulting in a headphone that sound very bright, and has little "presence." It has great detail, but the lack of bass made them quite fatiguing to me.

 

[Spad]

Quote:

Originally posted by Laffer I have no seperate amp for headphones right now, and my current source is Yamaha RX-V2095. Is is sufficient for those higher impedance phones? Specs on yamaha's manual has following information on headphone output.

I'm not familiar with the V2095, but if it uses the same headphone circuitry as the current RX-V-series, it will drive practically anything and sound better than most dedicated headphone amps--at least those I've heard.

 

[gloco]

Quote:

Originally posted by Spad I'm not familiar with the V2095, but if it uses the same headphone circuitry as the current RX-V-series, it will drive practically anything and sound better than most dedicated headphone amps--at least those I've heard.

Which amps are you referring to? I have a RX-V model and i think it drives all my cans beautifully, most head-fiers here though would disagree with me.

 

[NotoriousBIG_PJ]

Quote:

Originally posted by dougli the one headphone on your list that I've also used which he didn't mention is the DT831. This one is often considered the best closed phone made, period.

The only place where I have ever read that was on the headroom website. The only thing I ever read about them on head-fi is "too bright", but maybe there are good reviews of them here?

Biggie.

 

[akar]

I have the 831s and I like them.
They are very good for classical and acoustic guitar music.
I also have the 250-80s.

Everything has a purpose, and some phones are better suited for certain things.

If I could only have one out of those two phones it would be the 250-80s.
They are more versatile and easier to drive.

 

[Guyferd]

I heard the beyer dt531 paired with creek obh-11 gives a very pleasant musical experience
Maybe snufkin can elaborate more on this?

 

[radrd]

Quote:

sorry about my english....hope you can understand it.

I would call it pretty damn good, better than most people (not here though) who post stuff in forums. Your English is good.

 

[Spad]

Quote:

Originally posted by gloco Which amps are you referring to? I have a RX-V model and i think it drives all my cans beautifully, most head-fiers here though would disagree with me.

I'm refering to the models with Yamaha's "Silent Cinema" feature. For those unfamiliar with HRTF systems, you can find a superficial explanation here:

http://www.yamaha.co.jp/english/prod...inema_dsp.html

The system is surprisingly effective with movies and equally at home with music. I have a fairly large classical and opera video collection (mostly on laserdisc) and, being an inveterate insomniac, get to test the ol' "Silent Cinema" thing a bit more than I would prefer. In fact, just today I had a 3:30 AM date with Maestro von Karajan and Brahms Symphonies 1 & 2.